Hiding
by lookingforthestars
Summary: Walter and Paige clash while competing for a job...and then some.


**Just had this short scene bouncing around in my head, hope you enjoy it!**

"Walter."

He swallowed as Paige's stoic voice cut through the silence of the lobby. Goosebumps spread over his arms and heat pricked uncomfortably at his skin as he slowly turned to meet her eyes. "Hello, Paige."

Cabe and Florence stood up behind him, matching Centipede's displeased glares. Walter stepped forward, Paige doing the same until they met halfway. She crossed her arms. "We're clearly more suited for this job. They're interested in Happy's crane designs. Why don't you just bow out gracefully and let us handle this?"

Walter cocked his head. "Actually, the CEO is interested in Florence's new adhesive compound. Do you think it's easier for me to design a functional crane, or for you to find a chemist who can replicate her formula?"

He had her beat there. But Paige wasn't one to admit defeat. "I guess we'll know the answer to that when he awards the contract, won't we?"

"I suppose so."

Paige leaned in closer, the smell of her shampoo making Walter suddenly weak in the knees. He steeled himself against the stimulus, mimicking her stiff posture. "Walter, can I talk to you?" she bit out sharply. "Privately, please?"

"We'll return in a moment," he told the members of Scorpion 2.0, awkwardly shuffling past his former team as he followed Paige into the stark white hallway. She peeked into a few of the conference rooms, finally locating one that was relatively secluded. Paige swung the door open, stepping aside to let him in and closing it behind them without flipping on the light.

She clicked the lock into place, staring at him for a long second in the darkness. Her mouth was on his in an instant, her fingers tangled in his hair as she allowed him to back her against the wall. One of her legs curled around his calf, pulling him closer while their lips connected frantically and their hands roamed everywhere they could touch.

"Do you think they bought it?" she asked breathlessly, her fingers already working on his buttons. Walter wasn't sure how far she intended to take this—neither of them had any chance of winning the contract if they were discovered in this position—but when she slipped her hand inside his shirt to tease his nipple, any thought of stopping her promptly dissipated. "The adhesive thing was a nice touch."

"I think so," he murmured, kissing her fiercely. "B-But we can't sneak around forever. They're going to figure it out eventually."

"I know. I just…" Paige gasped quietly as Walter's lips moved to her throat, locking around the soft skin there. Her fists curled into his shirt, preventing him from moving away even if he'd wanted to. Not that he had any such intention. "I think it's a mistake to tell anyone until we're sure this time is going to work."

He was aware of her opinion on the matter. They'd discussed it extensively. Hiding the truth from the team made him uneasy at times—dishonesty had been a major factor in their split—but they'd both agreed to focus on reestablishing their own communication first without everyone else's well-intentioned but often confusing input.

Walter lifted his head. She looked so stunning this way, her eyes dilated in the dim light and her lips slightly swollen. He'd heard that clandestine encounters were considered arousing for many people—a notion he had always dismissed as ridiculous—but whether it was due to the secretive nature of their reconciliation or the time they'd spent apart, there was no denying that his romantic interludes with Paige were nothing short of explosive lately. "I feel the same. But we're not being very…discreet…at the moment."

"Where's the fun in that?" she whispered, her lips curving into a teasing smile. She was wearing the fitted pink top he'd always liked on her and he wondered if she had chosen it specifically because she knew they were going to see each other. "God, Walter, I want you so badly right now."

It was relatively mild, as erotic comments went, but hearing Paige talk like that never failed to short-circuit his brain. They crashed together again, his hand sliding under her shirt to cup her over her bra. She moaned into his mouth as she ground her hips against his, eliciting an answering groan. "Paige, my presentation is in five minutes."

"Then we have three," she insisted, biting down gently on his bottom lip and soothing it with her tongue. Walter grunted. Three more minutes of her body on his would require much longer than two minutes of recovery. And unlike Paige, his response to their activities wasn't so easy to disguise.

She linked her fingers with his, arching her chest into his hand as their tongues tangled. He was rapidly approaching the point of no return and he grabbed her hips, reluctantly taking a step back. "Paige."

"Shit." She tipped her head against the wall, her breath coming out shallow and ragged. "Are you sure we don't have enough time to do it here? I'm dying."

Later, he could ruminate on the appealing idea of leaning Paige over the conference table, but picturing that now would defeat the entire purpose of extricating himself. "They would bust us in a second. Especially Toby."

Paige let out a noise of frustration. "Why did you have to hire a shrink?"

He refrained from noting that Toby was technically in her employ now as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Good luck on your presentation."

"You too. If we've planned it out right, this is the last job we'll be competing for."

"Good." Paige was a shrewd businesswoman. He hadn't enjoyed fighting with her for contracts, personally or professionally.

"Ralph's on a school trip," Paige reminded him, arching her eyebrow suggestively. "Come over tonight and finish what you started?"

Walter inhaled deeply, willing his body back into submission. Paige Dineen was absolutely going to kill him. "Eight?"

"Perfect." She tugged on his tie, bringing him down for another brief kiss. "And Walter?"

"Mm?"

"Don't think I didn't see you eyeing that table."


End file.
